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Poliquin: Karl Malone ignored Michael Jordan, but then he (thankfully, for his sake) re-considered

AP97060103460(1).JPG

Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan and Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone greet each other before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 1, 1997, in Chicago. Malone was named the league's MVP ahead of Jordan for the season.
(Beth A. Keiser | The Associated Press)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- He backtracked quickly enough, sure, but not before providing a nice laugh. So, we should probably thank Karl Malone for the humor he showed on Wednesday when he initially named his All-Time NBA Team ... and didn't have Michael Jordan in his starting five.

That would, of course, be like excluding Lincoln from a list of the Top 5 presidents, Ali from a list of the Top 5 heavyweights and Ned from a list of the Top 5 Starks.

But Malone, the 6-foot-9 forward who scored more NBA points than anybody in history not named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has his right to be foolish. And, oh, he certainly exercised that right when he originally proclaimed this to be his own personal Dream Team:

The truth of the matter, as most basketball folks see the "truth," is that the NBA's all-time starting five is a list that all but writes itself.

This isn't baseball or football or hockey where there are multiple boffo candidates worthy of consideration at virtually every position. Nah, this is hoops where, with James having evolved into a stunning basketball instrument nearly defying description, the matter is largely cut and dried. With, that is, the exception of the center position where there are three (but absolutely only three) guys in the conversation.

The nearly indisputable roll call:

F: JamesF: Larry BirdC: Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain or Bill Russell (alphabetically, and a clear matter of personal preference along the lines of Paul, John or George)G: Earvin JohnsonG: Jordan

Period. End of, um, sentence.

Remarkably, Malone got 60 percent of his first ballot wrong. A difficult chore, that ... but the man was creatively inspired. Or inexplicably spiteful. Or, as he said later, simply busting chops. Whatever, he did recant and acknowledged that Jordan -- the 6-6 guard who was wondrous on offense, fabulous on defense and terrific on special teams -- was gifted enough to sneak somewhere into his lineup.

That made for quite a revelation and it'll set up today's big announcement by Malone wherein Karl will declare that, upon further review, Curly was one of the three greatest Stooges.

(Well, you know, Shemp was pretty good, too.)

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Here is the usual weekly “schedule of events” in Bud Poliquin’s corner of syracuse.com:

MONDAY -- By 8 a.m.: The daily column/commentary. By 11:30 a.m.: “How’d I Do?” By 6 p.m.: “Ask Me Anything” by submitting questions (to which I’ll give answers) on any sports-related topic to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include your name and the identity of your hometown.)

TUESDAY -- By 8 a.m.: The daily column/commentary. By 11:30 a.m.: “Coach’s Corner,” wherein readers can submit questions to any coach at any level in Central New York (and answers will be posted) to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include name and hometown.) By 6 p.m.: “The Video Store.”

WEDNESDAY -- By 8 a.m.: The daily column/commentary. By 11:30 a.m.: “The List.” By 6 p.m.: “E-Mail Of The Week,” wherein readers can submit legitimate essays/open letters/observations for purposes of posting to bpoliquin@syracuse.com. (Please include name and hometown.)